Strait of Hormuz Sees Lowest Shipping Activity Since May

Al-Taj News – Shipping data showed on Monday that the daily average of commodity vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz stood at 10 vessels over the past 10 days, the lowest level since May, following US and Iranian strikes targeting tankers.

Data released by Kpler indicated that the 10-day moving average stood at 10 vessels on Sunday, compared with more than 15 vessels on Friday and around 13 vessels on Saturday.

Only two vessels passed through the strait on Saturday, while six vessels passed through on Sunday, most of them via the Iranian route.

The US Central Command said its forces targeted three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including a tanker off Kharg Island, the main hub for Iranian oil exports, following attacks carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against US warships in the region.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced on Saturday that it had targeted three oil tankers that were using unauthorized routes in the strait, in addition to three US vessels in different areas.

Maritime intelligence company Maersk said in a note that the three Iranian tankers were the “Downey,” “Stark 1,” and “Kailo,” also known as “Noxen.”

The company added that the attacks that took place on Saturday represented “a major escalation in the maritime conflict.”